[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 108 (Friday, June 5, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 31990-31991]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-13768]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

20 CFR Parts 404 and 416

[Docket No. SSA-2015-0017]
RIN 0960-AH83


Extension of Sunset Date for Attorney Advisor Program

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: We are extending for 2 years our rule authorizing attorney 
advisors to conduct certain prehearing procedures and to issue fully 
favorable decisions. The current rule will expire on August 7, 2015. In 
this final rule, we are extending the sunset date to August 4, 2017. We 
are making no other substantive changes.

DATES: This final rule is effective June 5, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rainbow Lloyd, Social Security 
Administration, 5107 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3260, 703-
605-7100 for information about this final rule. For information on 
eligibility or filing for benefits, call our national toll-free number, 
1-800-772-1213 or TTY 1-800-325-0778, or visit our Internet site, 
Social Security Online, at http://www.socialsecurity.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background of the Attorney Advisor Program

    On August 9, 2007, we issued an interim final rule permitting some 
attorney advisors to conduct certain prehearing procedures and issue 
decisions that are fully favorable when the documentary record 
warrants. 72 FR 44763. We instituted this practice to provide more 
timely service to the increasing number of applicants for Social 
Security disability benefits and Supplemental Security Income payments 
based on disability. We considered the public comments we received on 
the interim final rule and, on March 3, 2008, we issued a final rule 
without changes. 73 FR 11349. Under this rule, some attorney advisors 
may develop claims and, in appropriate cases, issue fully favorable 
decisions before a hearing.
    We originally intended the attorney advisor program to be a 
temporary modification to our procedures. Therefore, we included in 
sections 404.942(g) and 416.1442(g) of the interim final rule a 
provision that the program would end on August 10, 2009, unless we 
decided to either terminate the rule earlier or extend it beyond that 
date by publication of a final rule in the Federal Register. Since that 
time, we have periodically extended the sunset date; as we noted above, 
the current sunset date for the program is August 7, 2015. 78 FR 45460.

Explanation of Extension

    When we published the final rules reinstating the attorney advisor 
program in 2008, we discussed a variety of concerns about the program 
and we stated our intent to closely monitor it and to make changes to 
the program if it did not meet our expectations. 73 FR 11349, 11350, 
11351, and 11352.
    We explained in the final rule in 2008 that the number of requests 
for hearings has increased significantly in recent years. We anticipate 
that we will continue to receive a high number of requests for 
hearings. The attorney advisor program has assisted our efforts to 
reduce the backlog of pending hearing requests, and we believe that the 
program should continue at this time.
    In order to preserve the maximum degree of flexibility we need to 
effectively manage our hearings-level workloads, we have decided to 
extend the attorney advisor rule for another 2 years, until August 4, 
2017. As before, we reserve the authority to end the program earlier or 
to extend it by publishing a final rule in the Federal Register.

Regulatory Procedures

Justification for Issuing Final Rule Without Notice and Comment

    We follow the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) rulemaking 
procedures specified in 5 U.S.C. 553 when developing regulations. 
Section 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 902(a)(5). The 
APA provides exceptions to its notice and public comment procedures 
when an agency finds there is good cause for dispensing with such 
procedures because they are impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to 
the public interest. We have determined that good cause exists for 
dispensing with the notice and public comment procedures for this rule. 
5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B). Good cause exists because this final rule only 
extends the sunset date of an existing rule. It makes no substantive 
changes to the rule. The current regulations expressly provide that we 
may extend or terminate this rule. Therefore, we have determined that 
opportunity for prior comment is unnecessary, and we are issuing this 
rule as a final rule.
    In addition, because we are not making any substantive changes to 
the existing rule, we find that there is good cause for dispensing with 
the 30-day delay in the effective date of a substantive rule provided 
by 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3). To ensure that we have uninterrupted authority 
to use attorney advisors to reduce the number of pending cases at the 
hearing level, we find that it is in the public interest to make this 
final rule effective on the date of publication.

[[Page 31991]]

Executive Order 12866 as Supplemented by Executive Order 13563

    We consulted with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and 
determined that this final rule does not meet the criteria for a 
significant regulatory action under Executive Order 12866, as 
supplemented by Executive Order 13563.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    We certify that this final rule will not have a significant 
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because it 
affects individuals only. Therefore, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, as 
amended, does not require us to prepare a regulatory flexibility 
analysis.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    This final rule does not create any new or affect any existing 
collections and, therefore, does not require OMB approval under the 
Paperwork Reduction Act.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Nos. 96.001, Social 
Security--Disability Insurance; 96.002, Social Security--Retirement 
Insurance; 96.004, Social Security--Survivors Insurance; 96.006, 
Supplemental Security Income.)

List of Subjects

20 CFR Part 404

    Administrative practice and procedure, Blind, Disability benefits, 
Old-age, Survivors and Disability Insurance, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements, Social security.

20 CFR Part 416

    Administrative practice and procedure, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements, Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Carolyn W. Colvin,
Acting Commissioner of Social Security.

    For the reasons stated in the preamble, we amend subpart J of part 
404 and subpart N of part 416 of Chapter III of title 20 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations as set forth below:

PART 404--FEDERAL OLD-AGE, SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY INSURANCE 
(1950- )

Subpart J--[Amended]

0
1. The authority citation for subpart J of part 404 continues to read 
as follows:

    Authority: Secs. 201(j), 204(f), 205(a)-(b), (d)-(h), and (j), 
221, 223(i), 225, and 702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 401(j), 404(f), 405(a)-(b), (d)-(h), and (j), 421, 423(i), 
425, and 902(a)(5)); sec. 5, Pub. L. 97-455, 96 Stat. 2500 (42 
U.S.C. 405 note); secs. 5, 6(c)-(e), and 15, Pub. L. 98-460, 98 
Stat. 1802 (42 U.S.C. 421 note); sec. 202, Pub. L. 108-203, 118 
Stat. 509 (42 U.S.C. 902 note).


0
2. In Sec.  404.942, revise paragraph (g) to read as follows:


Sec.  404.942  Prehearing proceedings and decisions by attorney 
advisors.

* * * * *
    (g) Sunset provision. The provisions of this section will no longer 
be effective on August 4, 2017, unless we terminate them earlier or 
extend them beyond that date by notice of a final rule in the Federal 
Register.

PART 416--SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME FOR THE AGED, BLIND, AND 
DISABLED

Subpart N--[Amended]

0
3. The authority citation for subpart N continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  Secs. 702(a)(5), 1631, and 1633 of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 902(a)(5), 1383, and 1383b); sec. 202, Pub. 
L. 108-203, 118 Stat. 509 (42 U.S.C. 902 note).


0
4. In Sec.  416.1442, revise paragraph (g) to read as follows:


Sec.  416.1442  Prehearing proceedings and decisions by attorney 
advisors.

* * * * *
    (g) Sunset provision. The provisions of this section will no longer 
be effective on August 4, 2017, unless we terminate them earlier or 
extend them beyond that date by notice of a final rule in the Federal 
Register.

[FR Doc. 2015-13768 Filed 6-4-15; 8:45 am]
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